1. Caleb Downs
Ohio State • Junior • 6’0 • 205
Downs is one of the best safeties I have ever watched as an NFL prospect and can do it all at the NFL level. Downs was a five-star freshman who started his career at Alabama and immediately became the best safety in the nation in his freshman season, winning all SEC honors. Downs is quick, fast, and strong, with an ability to line up all over the field and make an impact on the game in a variety of ways. Downs is a modern-day safety who can line up in the box, over the top, and in the slot and is effective against the run and the pass. For perspective, I ranked Downs higher than Malachai Starks, who was widely considered a day-one pick last season. Downs is a great tackler, is great in coverage, and can also be used in the return game on special teams. Long story short. This kid is special and may very well be the best player in the class.
2. Genesis Smith
Arizona • Junior • 6’2 • 200
Smith will almost certainly land on my guys list for the 2026 NFL draft, as I love his profile, and I genuinely think he could become one of the premier NFL safeties in the proper defense. One of the best box safeties in the class, Smith does a great job playing up at the line of scrimmage and makes plays around the ball with consistency. He has the optimal size to both play in coverage and make big tackles in space. He has great length, which allows him to wrap up well, and while he may not be a real thumper when coming downhill, he does a great job making the form tackles. Sometimes, Smith struggles with his angles on tackles, but I think that can be resolved with time in an NFL defense where he has a more consistent role. Having a player like Smith who you can put in the box, in the slot, or over the top is incredibly valuable, and I think he will make a significant impact in the NFL.
3. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
Toledo • Junior • 6’3 • 210
Athletically gifted safeties are always a hot commodity across the NFL, and despite attending a smaller school, EMNW will not be an exception to that rule. While he is a bit more of a raw prospect, and teams will have questions about his ability to be as dominant at a higher level of competition, he has looked every bit an NFL player so far in his college career. Similar to Quinyon Mitchell before him, Toledo has shown a knack for developing these young athletic DBs, and EMNW may fit in seamlessly in the NFL. His incredible blend of size, speed, and quickness is rare, and scouts know that if a good NFL coach can harness that talent, he will have a robust NFL career.
4. Kamari Ramsey
USC • Junior • 6’0 • 200
I have Ramsey listed as a safety because of his ability to cover a lot of ground in zone coverage and his elite open-field tackling. But what really caught my eye was his ability to play in the slot in man-to-man coverage and as a blitzer against the pass. Ramsey is one of the more physical players in this year’s draft at the safety position, and his ability to play a variety of positions will be something that catches the eye of a lot of NFL scouts. He has consistently ranged to play over the top and impact the game by holding down deep-threat receivers. He has the athleticism to stick with faster guys, as well as the ability to stick with slot receivers in man coverage, staying at the hip and using his quickness to keep them in front of him on quick in-and-out routes. I love what I have seen from Ramsey, and I think he will be a great day-one draft pick with an immediate impact in the NFL, regardless of scheme.
5. Zakee Wheatley
Penn State • Senior • 6’3 • 200
Wheatley would get a lot more eyes this year if it were not for the unbelievable talent that is Caleb Downs, but Wheatley is an elite talent in his own right. There is so much to like about Wheatley that it is hard to know where to start. He has a great frame that allows him to cover a lot of ground and get his hands into the honey pot to knock balls out of the receiver’s hands. He has excellent ball skills over the top to force turnovers and has a real nose for the ball with several fumble recoveries. When I looked at his frame, I was concerned he would be a poor tackler, but when I watched the film, he shut that down quickly. This kid will hit you, and I wrote quite a bit about his effort when I watched him play. This year, offenses played the “throw the ball away from Wheatley” game because of how much he can disrupt the game, and that is precisely what you want from an NFL safety. Very versatile player. While some are concerned he will not be able to tackle at the NFL level, I think he will be just fine. An actual weapon, Wheatley will go much higher than you expect.
7. Dillon Thieneman
Oregon • Junior • 6’0 • 205
Thieneman has entered this year’s draft as one of the top players in the class and was a significant part of Oregon’s massive transfer class this season. The Ducks were coming off one of their best-ever seasons in school history and looked to reload for 2025. Thieneman had a great career at Purdue and chose to transfer to the West Coast for his senior season. One of the best pure hybrid safeties in college football, Thieneman is a thumper over the top and will give quarterbacks pause before putting the ball in front of him for a receiver to make a catch through impact. He has some range to cover ground and make plays on the ball, but he will not be known for his coverage ability and will make a bigger impact as a tackler in the open field or in the run game.
8. AJ Haulcy
LSU • Senior • 5’11 • 220
Haulcy is a true safety/linebacker hybrid who can play in the box, in the slot, or over the top to cover receivers in the secondary. This versatility is incredibly valuable, and his ability to come up and make tackles will impress NFL teams. Haulcy started at New Mexico, then transferred to Houston, and has chosen to finish his college career at LSU. In 2023, in Houston, he had 97 total tackles, and he has never finished a season with fewer than 74. Last year in Houston, he improved his coverage and showed the ball-hawking ability he flashed in high school, coming away with eight total interceptions in 2024. At LSU this year, he has been valuable in coverage and in the box as a blitzer/tackler. NFL teams have been valuing hybrid safeties; they can play a variety of positions and make tackles in the box, and Haulcy is just that.
9. Jalen Huskey
Maryland • Senior • 6’1 • 200
Huskey was considered a big-time transfer when he landed at Maryland, but as a corner. He struggled mightily on the boundary, and in the offseason before the 2025 season, Mike Locksley decided to move him to safety. Similar to Glendon Miller before him, Huskey has seen a revolution in his career and has looked like one of the better slot/ball-hawking safeties in the draft. Teams will like the versatility that Huskey brings, and while he struggled as an every-down corner, he is more than capable of rotating over as needed. Huskey has been an incredible player for Maryland this year at safety, forcing several turnovers. He has transitioned seamlessly to safety and could be a day-two pick.
11. Jalen Stroman
Notre Dame • Senior • 6’0 • 200
Football runs in the family for Jalen Stroman, and his brother Greg was a star at Virginia Tech and was a seventh-round pick in 2018. Jalen followed in his brother’s footsteps, also playing defensive back and attending Virginia Tech, but is primarily a safety. This offseason, Stroman entered the portal, found his way to Notre Dame for his final year of college eligibility, and has made an immediate impact on the Fighting Irish’s defense. He is an experienced player who does a great job shutting down plays before they even start, and it is clear he has an excellent feel for the game. He is physically strong and is not afraid to come up and deliver a hit on ball carriers all over the field. While he lacks elite speed or range, he is solid in coverage and makes up for his athleticism with excellent instincts and a feel for the game that allow him to beat other players to the spot. I think he immediately makes an impact on an NFL defense and will be a good early-day three pick.
12. Jalen Catelon
Missouri • Senior • 5’9 • 200
Catelon is one of the oldest players in this year’s draft, as he is in his seventh year of college eligibility playing for Missouri. Catelon spent the first four years of his college career with Arkansas, where he was incredibly successful, but did not find the NFL draft type that he was looking for. He entered the transfer portal and headed to Texas, where he had a solid season, but injuries forced him to miss several games. After once again failing to find the draft hype he was looking for, he hit the transfer portal again and ended up at UNLV, where he probably had the best season of his career with 5 INTs. Unfortunately, he still did not find the draft hype that he was looking for, and hit the portal again, finding his way to Missouri for his final year of eligibility this season. Catalon is an experienced and unique safety whose ability to play in the box and over the top will be impactful in the NFL. While his age and experience may put off some teams, he is a very polished safety prospect who will serve as a solid third safety in the NFL immediately.
13. Kyle Louis
Pittsburgh • Junior • 6’0 • 225
Watching the defense for Pitt this season was a very unique experience, with the team potentially sending three linebackers pro this season. The Panthers run one of the most unique defensive schemes with three undersized linebackers serving a wide range of roles. Louis had 100 tackles last year with seven sacks and was the most unique of the players at the second level of the Pitt defense. I have Louis listed as a safety because I think that is more of the role that he will play at the NFL level because of his versatility. Louis is capable of lining up in the slot but is a high-quality tackler both in the box and in space which will serve him well in the NFL. In an NFL defense, Louis will serve as a box safety who can be effective in nickel sets and in coverage downs where his ability to move across the field will make him effective.
14. DQ Smith
South Carolina • Senior • 6’1 • 215
Smith has spent all four years of his college career in South Carolina and has seen several top defensive backs find their way to the NFL. He made an impact the second he stepped on campus and has consistently played a role on the Gamecock defense. A proper strong safety, Smith is a hard-hitting safety who can play over the top with some range but loves to come up and make an impact in the run game. Well, he’s not a great tackler in space and can struggle to wrap up, but he will lay down a brutal hit across the middle and also fights through blocks to get to ball carriers. Teams will like his physicality, and I think that he has the range to play in a two-high scheme as well.
15. Austin Brown
Wisconsin • Senior • 6’0 • 215
Brown is a true hybrid safety who has proven his ability to play several roles this season. NFL defensive coordinators are consistently looking to add safeties that they think can play several spots on a defense and Brown is just that. The Badgers run a lot of cover three, meaning that Brown has been forced to play as a lurking over the top safety very often, but his ability to play a central LB kind of role as well as the flat has made him valuable. This has helped the Wisconsin defense shift zones to either side of the field and has forced quarterbacks to have to be aware of Brown at all times. He does not have elite traits and is a better run defender than he is in coverage, but I think he has a role in the NFL. He will immediately impact a team’s special teams unit, and his versatility makes him a great depth option on day three.
